Beagle club to be preserved

The 150-acre site of the Long Island Beagle Club on Edwards Avenue has been slated for acquisition by the  county for preservation and passive recreation uses, Legislator Edward Romaine announced this week.

The County Legislature approved a “planning steps” resolution introduced by Romaine,  authorizing the county to obtain appraisals and begin negotiating a contract with the owners of the site, a membership club that has used the property for sportsmanship activities since 1972.

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The property has been listed on the market for sale at an asking price of $18 million.

It is located in a special groundwater protection area and is extremely important to the region and the local community, Romaine said in a press release. Maintaining the parcel as open space will provide protection to the regional drinking water supply while also preserving an important scenic vista and buffer between active farmland and residential development in an agricultural protection zone, he said. Additionally, the woodlands and old field growth provide prime wildlife habitat where Cooper’s hawks and Field sparrows have been observed. Both are listed as declining species by the National Audubon Society, Romaine said.

“I was happy to sponsor the necessary planning steps resolution to begin the appraisal process and acquisition negotiations for this environmentally significant land. Since taking office, I have made it my priority to ensure sensitive properties be kept in their pristine state and protected for future generations,” Romaine said.

The Town of Riverhead has expressed a willingness to partner with the county as a managing agent, assuming responsibility for management and maintenance of the building and surrounding grounds. Preservation of this parcel would provide opportunities for passive recreation and is a key link in an east/west greenbelt trail, possibly serving as a trailhead, according to the county legislator.

A “planning steps” resolution is the first step in the acquisition process and authorizes the County’s Division of Real Estate to contact property owners, to order appraisals, perform title work, and begin negotiations. Actual acquisition requires additional legislation.

Also adopted by the legislature were resolutions authorizing the preservation of additional environmentally sensitive properties in Riverhead totaling approximately 30 acres of open space. Included are the 25.5-acre Rolle Estate located in the vicinity of Saw Mill Creek, and, in the Peconic River Greenbelt area, the county will acquire the 1.3-acre Rubenstein/Tanguturi parcel as well as the 2.3-acre DeLea Sod Farm property.